Owen eager to take on Arsenal 'oldies'

"Sol showed in the World Cup how good he is; he's strong, he's quick. You know against Arsenal you're not going to get given goals on a plate, that's for sure.

"As long as I can remember, they've been known for their great defence and Sol and Martin are at the heart of it.

"I came up against them during practice games at the World Cup.

"I was in the youngies (sic) team and Martin was obviously in the oldies. Sol was a kind of in-between age, but most times he had to go with the oldies. I think us youngsters held our own!"

Owen has already packed more into his short career than most manage in a lifetime.

Two World Cup campaigns, two Golden Boots for being the Premiership's top scorer and five trophies in one season with Liverpool. Not to mention the hat-trick in Munich against Germany.

Although Liverpool manager Gerard Houllier has five quality forwards to choose from, it is a question of who will partner Owen - Emile Heskey, £10 million new boy El Hadji Diouf, Jari Litmanen or young Czech Milan Baros.

Yet Owen's position hasn't always been so unassailable. In many ways, it was his double against Arsenal that really got the ball rolling for him after one of the few bad patches in his career.

" That game was important because it was the first major cup final I had been involved with," he said. "I wasn't in the team that won the Worthington Cup earlier in the season.

"At Liverpool, the aim is always to win trophies. Every season we have improved in the league, from fourth to third to second last season. We are pleased with that because the league is ultimately what you are judged on.

"If we can improve again we have a good chance. The new players are settling in well and the rest of the squad are a year older and more experienced.

"The last time Liverpool were champions was in 1990 and I was still with the other team," he adds, referring to his Evertonsupporting days before he joined Liverpool's youth ranks as an 11-year-old hopeful in 1991.

If there is a cloud hanging over Owen's perfect world, it is the state of his hamstrings - although there is no doubt about his appearance on Sunday.

Like others who are valued so highly by club and country, a respite from matches is unlikely.

Owen has pronounced himself a cautious supporter of a winter break to ease the pressure on top players, but admits it is a complex issue. However, he agrees that England's World Cup preparations might have been helped with a less arduous domestic campaign.

Owen, who scored 28 goals in 43 games for Liverpool last season, scored the opening goal against Brazil in the World Cup quarterfinals before England seemed to run out of steam and ended up losing 2-1.

"I certainly think me personally and a lot of the other players would have benefited from going into the tournament a lot fresher," he said.

"I felt fit enough to play against Brazil, although I wasn't at the maximum. After 20 minutes, it looked the right decision.

"I went into the World Cup feeling no problems but obviously the amount of games and training you do in a short period of time had an effect. It's a subject that is being talked about a lot - the intensity and length of the season.

"I certainly think players could have performed better if they hadn't played a full season, but it's a hard situation because players don't like missing out on big games. The state of the squad going into the World Cup wasn't what it could have been. But being given one week off in the middle of the season wouldn't be a proper break.

"For one thing, the manager would want you in training for that week to keep your fitness up for when the games start again."

Owen has come a long way since Glenn Hoddle said he wasn't a " natural goalscorer". The way he speaks today makes it clear he counts his success in goals.

"Emile and Diouf aren't just penalty-box players. They like to play wide, hold the ball up and beat players. I mainly try to get in the box to get the crosses," he said.

"They give things to the team besides scoring. But my game is about goals."

If his mates Campbell and Keown don't realise that now, they will do on Sunday.